The Swiss star had a nightmare 45 minutes against Manchester United and was ignominiously hooked off at half-time. News today is that he has signed a new contract. Good news for the Gunners?
This time last year Johan Djourou was being hailed as one of Arsenal’s star defenders.
12 months on his stock has considerably decreased. Why?
Djourou’s acclaim last season very much came through his consistent performances when Thomas Vermaelen was out injured.
There was a quite incredible statistic, which showed Arsenal did not lose a game where Djourou started in the Premier League between late 2008 and the end of last season, 2011.
This showed how vital the centre-back had become to the club.
However 2011 was not good to the Swiss defender.
He picked up a knee injury against Newcastle in the 4-4 draw which kept him out for several games, only returning for Arsenal’s ill-fated Carling Cup Final defeat to Birmingham City.
This was when Arsenal’s season went sour. After losing to Barcelona they traveled to Manchester United in the FA Cup where they lost 2-0 and he suffered a dislocated shoulder.
When he came back, Arsenal were shot to pieces, and Djourou could not stop the rot, so his form also suffered.
This season he has too suffered for form, being a shadow of the resilient centre-back he previously was. He was one of the culprits of the shambolic defence in their 8-2 defeat to United.
So this caused Wenger to go out and buy Per Mertesacker, who has partnered Laurent Koscielny in defence all season, with Thomas Vermaelen coming in when fit and not needed at left-back.
So Djourou has found it incredibly difficult to fight his way back in. He was given chances at full-back and failed miserably.
But fans should not be down on him for this, not every centre-back can transition easily to full-back.
The news he has been handed a new contract until 2015 is good news for Arsenal, just like his form dipped overnight, he can get it back.
He will need to bide his time and may have to wait until other players are injured to get a chance. He should also work on developing his game at full-back in case he is required there again.
But there’s no need for Arsenal fans to be disappointed in the news, there is dead wood at Arsenal, but Djourou is not part of it.
He is 25 and has plenty of years of good football left in him, he has shown enough in the past for fans to believe he can come good again.
Is Djourou’s new contract good news for Arsenal or should they have sold him?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
